One of Peter Fincham's top priorities when he becomes ITV's director of television will be resurrecting flagship channel ITV1's core drama and entertainment output.

New series such as The Palace, Honest and Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach, which were launched amid much bravado last month as part of a freshening up of ITV1's schedule, have failed to set the ratings alight.

One executive at an independent production company speculated that Fincham might try to persuade the BBC's controller of fiction, Jane Tranter, to work with him again.

Tranter was a key colleague of Fincham's when he worked as controller of BBC1, a job he left in October following the "Crowngate" row over wrongly edited footage of the Queen in a preview tape.

The major ITV entertainment brands have been doing well, including Dancing on Ice in its new Sunday slot, but newer shows such as Paul Merton improvisation comedy Thank God You're Here and the general knowledge quiz Duel have underperformed.

"Entertainment will definitely change," said one executive at an independent production company. "There will be a complete change of personnel. He will sort out entertainment."

Daisy Goodwin, a former colleague at TalkbackThames and founder of independent production company Silver River, said: "Peter has got a very good grasp of the two things ITV have to get right - drama and entertainment.

"Peter knows how to do that. He has shown rather brilliantly that he is pretty much equal to most of the challenges that get thrown his way. He did a very good job at BBC1 and made a lot of good decisions."

One of ITV's biggest problems last year was the TV fakery crisis, which severely dented public trust in broadcasters. The fact that the broadcaster has hired Fincham, who was involved in the Crowngate affair, has raised eyebrows among some.

Given the size of the challenge Fincham faces at ITV, some have speculated that he might have been promised greater rewards in the future.

"They must have told him he will get Grade's job in the end," one executive said.

Fincham's appointment, replacing Simon Shaps, scuppers speculation that the Channel 4 director of television, Kevin Lygo, was being lined up for the job. "The person who will be most pissed off will be Kevin Lygo," said one executive.

Fincham is due to deliver the MacTaggart lecture at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival in August, where he was expected to outline for the first time his thoughts on his departure as BBC1 controller.

The lecture has now become an ideal opportunity for him to outline his thoughts on ITV's future. "This obviously changes the context of it," Fincham said today.

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